MR. AUBE AND FRIENDS · MATH TOGETHER
Subtract with a number line
Show subtraction by moving back along a number line, counting each jump once. Try a little together and stop whenever you need.
Get ready
Paper, a pencil and a counter. Draw equally spaced marks from 0 to 10.
Show it: 8 − 3 = 5
- Put a counter on 8. Say: “We have eight. We are taking away three.”
- Move back one space to 7, then to 6, then to 5. Count the jumps: one, two, three.
- Say: “Three jumps back from eight lands on five.” Write 8 − 3 = 5 and check by taking three away from eight objects.
Ask together
“Where do we start? How many jumps will we make? Where did we land?”
If it feels tricky
Use five objects and take one away. Match that action to one jump back from 5 to 4 on the line.
Try it around home
Draw a number line from 0 to 10. Put a block on eight and move it back three spaces. Make up another take-away story together.
Ready to explore?
For 9 − 6, compare six jumps back from nine with counting up from six to nine. Explain how both methods show a difference of three.
Let your child show, draw or tell you how they worked it out. One answer is a starting point for a conversation.
Open the free guide and matching tool — no account needed:
https://mraube.ca/learn/subtract-on-a-number-line